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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the construction of furniture, more particularly to an improved method and apparatus for mounting furniture legs to an article of furniture in an adjustable fashion. Even more particularly, the present invention provides an improved method and apparatus for mounting a furniture leg to an article of furniture, wherein the article of furniture has an upholstered wood frame fitted with a bracket that is attached to the wooden frame of the article of furniture. The bracket provides a slot that carries a connector (e.g. nut). The connector or nut slides within the slot between inner and outer positions. The connector or nut has threads or other connection that enables a connection to be made with a fastener attached to the top of the furniture leg article.
2. General Background of the Invention
In the Furniture Industry, legs come in many sizes shapes and styles. Legs are mounted to furniture (e.g. upholstered furniture) in a variety of different ways. One of the most common is the hanger-bolt and T-nut connection method. A hole is bored in the center of one end of the leg. A hanger-bolt is a known bolt with a lag-bolt thread on one half of the overall length and typically machine thread on the other half. The hanger bolt is driven into the top of the leg leaving the machine thread exposed. The leg is then attached via machine thread into the barrel end of a T-nut. The T-nut is usually a machine threaded nut with a long barrel, a flange, and prongs for locking into the wood.
A hole is bored in the wooden mounting rail of an item of furniture at the precise location for the leg. The barrel of the T-nut is driven into the hole seating the prongs into the upper side of the wood rail. This locks the T-nut in place on the upper side of the wood and exposes the thread of the barrel to the underside of the leg rail or block. The proper structural and aesthetic placement of a leg varies greatly from style to style not only by size of the leg, but also the relationship of the leg to the outside perimeter of the wooden furniture frame.
Typically, the set back of a leg is determined by the alignment of joining of the outside perimeter of the leg with the outside perimeter of the frame. The leg is sometimes placed flush with the wood frame rail or there can be a minimal variation in alignment. In the construction of upholstered furniture, padding and fabric are applied to that same outside rail of the upholstered wooden frame. The desired spacing of the leg from the corner of the wooden frame is typically in the eye of the beholder. This T-nut attachment leg mounting system allows for no leg adjustment. There is also no easy interchange of different size legs.
Manufacturers have over the years have accepted the fact that legs could not be manipulated and have standardized whenever possible to a small extent in the injection molded furniture leg industry.
3. General Discussion of the Present Invention
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for attaching a furniture leg to an article of furniture, featuring a triangular (e.g. injection-molded) corner block with a movable (e.g. sliding)nut or plate having threaded opening that slides in a slot or race at an angle (e.g. 45 degrees) to the front and side of the wooden frame of the furniture article.
The outside or two short sides of this triangular block fasten to the inside corner of two furniture rails providing overall stabilization to the wooden frame and forms a mounting platform for the leg.
The triangular block can be made of metal or injection-molded pieces that allows for the insertion of a metal plate or nut which can contain any size female type connection with thread or pattern to match the male extension of specific leg.
A smaller piece is fitted to the block to define a stop. The smaller piece can be a u-shaped molding that is shaped to wedge or snap into place forming an end stop for the race, retaining the metal plate or nut confined to the slot or race. This smaller stop piece can be removable in order to change the metal plate for other size male connectors.
The triangular block has two sides forming a 90 degree outside angle. A slot in the triangular block forms a 45 degree slide. However this angle could be greater or lesser if used for example with tapered chairs, sofas, or possibly multi-sided tables such as octagon, hexagon, etc.
Screw holes in the prototype are necessary only if the block is screwed into place. Other mounting options certainly could include either stapling and/or gluing.
The size of the triangular block, thickness of walls, grid work, and gussets can be sized and shaped to provide adequate stability to support the weight of the furniture frame, but allow for the height of the leg or the intended use of the furniture article to which it is attached.
The slot or slide thickness, width, and length can be designed to accommodate the diameter of the chosen leg.
Functionality of the block is not limited only to injection molding, but can be of metal or other suitable fabrication.
The present invention provides a furniture upholstering method. Because the block can be raised or lowered vertically with respect to the inside corner rails, the block can be dropped a short distance below the rails to allow spacing for fabric that is pulled under and stapled to the edge of the rail forming an equal lateral plane created by the block and the fabric. This eliminates all the bulk of fabric that typically had to be pulled under the corner and that can cause the leg to be tilted. Fabric thickness has always been a problem with a hanger-bolt and T-nut construction in upholstered furniture. The present invention virtually eliminates tearing of the wood grain when trying to screw on a square type leg. The T-nut typically would hang on the fabric. Staple build up can tear or scar the leg.